Trust Services Overview

Wealth and estate planning are frequently integral aspects of a financial strategy aimed at protecting and preserving client assets and peace of mind. Many clients face challenging issues such as transferring ownership of a family business, caring for a family member unable to manage their own affairs, or minimizing income and estate taxes for themselves and heirs. For others, creating family foundations, establishing gifting programs, guardianships, and charitable trusts are significant.

Pennsylvania Trust’s long tradition of developing imaginative and individualized solutions can simplify client lives, making their financial objectives attainable and achievable. Industry professionals with deep knowledge of fiduciary practices and a sensitivity toward 21st-century economic realities work in tandem with client’s counsel, insurance specialists, and knowledgeable advisors, to provide attentive service and tailored advice that is prompt, reliable, and technically sound.

Whether a client’s wealth is inherited or amassed over a lifetime, Pennsylvania Trust is committed to protecting the value of the estate and preserving the legacies our clients seek.

Case History

We recently assisted a client during the period after the death of a spouse where we were not executors. This scenario included two highly emotional surprises.

The first surprise occurred when the spouse, who was to receive the entire estate, learned she was not appointed executor, as had been requested. In error, their attorney had named her children, who were originally to be placed as back-up executors. With the guidance of Pennsylvania Trust, the daughters renounced their executorships and the widow probated the will as administrator with our help.

The second surprise occurred when the widow learned that the deceased spouse had a six-figure credit card debt. She had no idea that spending was done via credit and therefore there were no probate assets to pay the debts, leading her initially to believe that her separate assets might have to be used. Pennsylvania Trust found an attorney to administer the insolvent estate and ensure that the widow would not have to pay the debt with her own assets. She thought she would be forced to sell her home, transfer title to all of her assets, and have a dramatically diminished lifestyle.

In both of these highly emotional developments, Pennsylvania Trust was able to provide a steady hand, utilizing expertise and resourcefulness that clients can expect.